Best board games you can buy right now 2020: fantasy games, dice games, card games and more
NOTHING UNITES friends and family members like an afternoon, evening or weekend spent playing board games.
Of course, the best board games aren't just about whiling away a few hours. They have everyone feeling engaged, invested and get those competitive juices flowing - long after the game has ended, in some cases.
As we refocus our social lives towards more home entertainment, board games are top of our minds for fun for all ages.
With most of them under £25, they provide hours of fun that generation after generation can enjoy - and are a healthy antidote for those worried about too much screen time.
While some board games are pure luck, others involve creativity, logic and the ability to think fast in a crisis.
Some board games test your ability to build - and your dexterity - while others require you to be a team player.
Whether you've got a quick 10 minutes before putting the kids to bed or want to have a game-heavy weekend, these are the games for all ages, levels and interests.
This article and featured products have been independently chosen by Sun journalists. It contains links which are ads, and if you click a link and buy a product we will earn revenue.
1. Best dice game: Perudo in a Tin
- (AD) Perudo in a Tin Game, £16.95 at Amazon - buy here
A great family game for kids from the age of 7, Perudo is also an ice-breaker for friends and works well on the go (the kit comes with a handy bag to keep all the bits and pieces in).
It's suitable for small or larger groups, as players estimate how many of each number dice there are - the winner is the player with dice under their cup at the end of the game.
Quick to learn and play, it's based on the Peruvian game 'Liar's Dice' - so for once, your child's compulsive need to deceit you will make you proud.
2. Best guessing game: Hasbro Gaming Guess Who?
- (AD) Hasbro Gaming Guess Who?, £19.95 at Amazon - buy here
Guess Who? is a fun game that kids can start playing from a young age, since there's no reading, writing or counting involved (it says 6+ on the box, but kids aged 3 and 4 love it too).
It's also handy when you want to minimise mess - the game involves two tabletop boards and slot-in character cards, rather than a board, dice, etc.
We've also noticed this is a brilliant game when you need to keep the kids occupied - siblings will actually play it together, without needing supervision or parental help. Which means you will be able to manage that work call if you need to...
3. Best word game: Scrabble Original Board Game
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Scrabble Original Board Game, £16 at Argos – buy here
Scrabble is a much-loved classic that continues to delight younger and older generations.
For both kids and adults, it's a great way to learn a few new words and to improve vocabulary.
Of course, as any Scrabble champ will tell you, it's all about the strategy too - it's never the wordsmith who ends up with the triple word bonus points, but the savvy player who knows what letters to put where. And how to score points with three-letter words no one else has heard of...
4. Best mystery board game: Cluedo Classic Board Game
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Cluedo Classic Board Game, £20 at Argos - buy here
This thrilling mystery game is enough to entice children in the house away from the television.
Those who haven't played in several years will notice that a new character, Dr Orchid, has replaced Mrs White - but the weapons, mansion and motives remain the same. It's always Colonel Mustard, in the library, with the candlestick, right?
5. Best fantasy board game: Pegasus Spiele Talisman
- (AD) Pegasus Spiele Talisman, £46.21 at Amazon - buy here
This immersive fantasy game is one for an afternoon dedicated to play - think of it as an 'easier to get into' Warhammer that the kids will want to get involved in.
You battle fantastical creatures, both good and evil, using strength and craft to reach the Crown of Command.
'Easy to learn, since goal is to keep going one direction (to the inner region). As simple as that. Events happen along the way and you do as the card/board tells you. So very little learning is required, quite easy to pick up', writes a reviewer.
6. Best classic board game: Hasbro Gaming Monopoly
- Hasbro Gaming Monopoly, £20 at Argos - buy here
There's nothing more satisfying then buying up properties, trading for your monopoly and becoming a hotel magnate - all in a matter of hours.
This game of wheeling and dealing is just as fun for kids as for adults and never fails to delight, no matter your age.
7. Best new (quick) board game: Hasbro Monopoly Speed
- (AD) Hasbro Monopoly Speed, £16.99 at Amazon – buy here
For the essence of Monopoly in quick-time, Monopoly Speed has all of the Monopoly virtues you enjoy and ditches the one you don't - its time-consuming nature.
Instead players all roll and buy simultaneously in the buying phase, which is followed by the trading phase, where you can swap money and properties.
Don't miss our full Monopoly Speed review here.
8. Best board game with a tech update: Mattel Pictionary Air
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MattelPictionary Air, £19.99 at Very - buy here
While board games are sometimes the perfect excuse to get some non-screen time in with the whole family, we can't deny that tech innovations have taken some of our favourite games to the next level.
Take Pictionary Air: the new update of everyone's favourite drawing game works with an app - you draw in the air, and your illustrations appear on your TV or smart device screen.
It's fun with flatmates or family, and reviewers say it gets tons of laughs from the kids.
9. Best table sports game: KLASK Half Table Football, Half Air Hockey Game
- (AD) KLASK Half Table Football, Half Air Hockey Game, £39.99 at Amazon – buy here
Somewhere between table football and air hockey you'll find Klask, an award-winning game that wins points for its beautiful design and quality as well as how fun it is to play.
The magnetic game is a favourite with kids, adults, couples, friends... reviewers describe is as 'great, simple and addictive' and 'really satisfying'. Set up best of 3, 5 and 10 games - turnaround is quick.
It's the perfect antidote for those missing out on getting their athletic fix - on TV or in person.
10. Best building game: Hasbro Gaming Jenga
- Hasbro Jenga, £15 at Argos - buy here
Jenga ticks every box for families: it's easy to play, fun for lots of players or just a couple and suitable for kids of all ages.
Plus, a game can be set up and completed in under 10 minutes.
Bonus points that in a sea of plastic, classic Jenga is made of wood.
11. Best pocket money game: Goki Mikado Game
- Goki Mikado Game, - buy here
Pick up sticks are a timeless form of entertainment - and they're great for improving dexterity in children too.
This lovely wooden version is value for money and includes a handy wooden box for storage.
12. Best escape room game: Goliath Games Escape Room Game
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Goliath Games Escape Room Game,
A must for fans of the escape room experience, this game includes three different escape room puzzles - with a timer to add to the suspense and pressure.
Fans describe it as 'good fun' and 'challenging' and say that it 'gets the mind working'.
13. Best strategy game: Days of Wonder Ticket To Ride Europe Game
- Days of Wonder Ticket To Ride Europe Game, £39.99 at John Lewis - buy here
One of the top-ranked board games, Ticket To Ride Europe is a popular strategy game that takes players back in time to turn of the century Europe.
Players travel to as many cities as they can on an exciting cultural expedition across Europe, building trains and rail lines - without getting up from the sofa.
14. Best board game for know-it-alls: University Games Smart Ass Game
- Smart Ass Game, £20 at Argos - buy here
An ideal quick and fun game for the competitive family, Smart Ass is all about guessing the correct answer with as few clues as possible - and shouting out loud is encouraged.
The general consensus? It's a great game for the whole family - and it gets everyone laughing.
15. Best board game to test your general knowledge: Hasbro Trivial Pursuit
- Hasbro Gaming Trivial Pursuit, £25 at Argos - buy here
This trivia game never fails to delight - and has over 2,400 questions across six categories, from Geography to Art & Literature.
It's as much fun to play yourself as it is to watch your family members squirm when they get asked a question in one of their least-favourite categories.
16. Best card game: Exploding Kittens
- Exploding Kittens Game, £19.99 at John Lewis - buy here
This fun card game became famous as the most-funded game in the history of Kickstarter, and the creators describe it in three words: 'kittens, enchiladas, explosions'.
Fans say it's 'hours and hours of fun for adults and older kids'.
It's also a good choice for those looking for a strategy-based board game.
17. Best descriptive board game: Drumond Park Articulate
- (AD) Drumond Park Articulate, £22.56 at Amazon - buy here
A really great game for friends and families to enjoy, Articulate is about beating the clock and guessing as many card entries as you can in half a minute.
It's especially fun if you and your teammate have a few inside jokes - you'll get an advantage over the other players.
18. Best board game for artistic types: Hasbro Gaming Cranium
- (AD) Hasbro Gaming Cranium, £22.99 at Amazon - buy here
This game involves a combination of sketching, scultping, acting, humming, word play and more for results that are impressive... or just plain comedy.
19. Best board game for teens: What Do You Meme?
- (AD) What Do You Meme?, £27.99 at Amazon - buy here
If you're despairing about ever getting your teen off TikTok, this solution may be to bring them memes IRL.
This game - a must for fans of Cards Against Humanity and Apples to Apples - is easy to pick up. Players compete with one another to create the funniest memes.
There's also a 'mature' card pack for when you're playing with adults only.
20. Best board game for teamwork: Z-Man Games Pandemic
- Pandemic, £29.99 at John Lewis - buy here
This game differs from all the rest as it unites every player - you all work together to beat the board, so it encourages cooperative play.
This thematic game is suitable for kids 8 and older, as players band together to find cures for four diseases spreading globally.
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